If you're looking for the latest trends in bathroom design, look no further than glass. Yes, that includes clear glass, but it also includes innovative ways of using glass you may not have thought of before.

Modern bathrooms are breaking away from the tradition of relegating the bathroom to a dark corner of the room, illuminated only by electric lights. Today's bathroom designers are finding ways of allowing natural sunlight in without sacrificing privacy. Some of the ways glass is being used to accomplish this include:

• Glass bricks: Glass bricks allow natural light to enter a room without allowing an unrestricted view of the room's interior.

• A colourful alternative to glass bricks is a leadlight window.

• A bathroom skylight can really bring the outdoors in to the bathroom. Some homeowners are even installing tubular skylights directly above the shower enclosure, giving the effect of showering under a waterfall in a secluded tropical rainforest.

Shower screens, too, reflect the trend towards making bathrooms appear more spacious and light, with frameless glass enclosures replacing framed and frosted glass. In some cases, bathroom renovators are doing away with shower screens altogether, creating wet rooms with a single glass partition to keep water from splashing on to other bathroom fixtures.

More Innovative Uses for Glass in the Bathroom

Bathroom tiles are undergoing a revolution with glass tiles replacing or supplementing traditional ceramic tiles. Glass tiles provide a sense of depth and vivid colour that can't be achieved with tiles made of any other material. Some of the latest trends in glass bathroom tiles include:

• Glass tiles that change colour with temperature changes. These are primarily designed for use in shower enclosures. When the shower is not in use, they return to their base colour, but as soon as you turn on the water, they begin to change into a rainbow of colours as water warms or cools the tiles.

• Mosaic glass tiles come in single colour or patterned sheets. Colours vary for subtle natural shades to vivid primary colours.

• Glass tiles in standard squares are anything but "standard," coming in a variety of colours and patterns.

• Rectangular glass bathroom tiles are arguably the trendiest of all and can be used anywhere in the room. They're great for making a small bathroom look bigger and are a refreshing change from square tiles.

Although they're not for everyone, glass sinks are one of the options now considered by discerning homeowners looking for something out of the norm. Sometimes made from recycled glass, they simply ooze sophistication and style, not to mention colour, with deep blue and green being two of the most popular. Sometimes called "glass vessel sinks" to distinguish them from ordinary drop in sinks, one of these can be the focal point of the room. Mounted on top of the benchtop, the vanity becomes like an elegant display stand, giving new meaning to the expression, "functional art."

Of course, you don't need to go all out and create an all glass bathroom, but if you're renovating your bathroom, by all means have a look at what's available. You'll be amazed what a difference creatively using glass in the bathroom can make.